Gearbox leaks

[ausgsa12]

statistics

Very interesting............as Schultz would say.

 

[Wildcat]

So, given that this is a a potentially recurring fault - and had mine done at only 2000miles, but been alright since, now at 30 000 - has anyone had to pay to have this done rather than be covered under warranty/goodwill? If so I'd be interested to know how much it cost.

Peter

I was given a ballpark quote of £500 +VAT & possibly more depending on how easily the swing arm bearing assembly came apart (drilling out the cover plate bolts is apparently sometimes necessary) - potentially more than a full days work. Hence my intention to a) wait and see what happens and b) attempt the job myself if/when the clutch gives warning. Having said that, I'm sure I read somewhere on this site that a gearbox seal had been done by a dealer in under 3 hours at a much more reasonable cost.

 

[Happyhenry]

Mine was done under warranty, though they told me that it was the best part of £800 to have the job done, incl. VAT and a new clutch (while we're in there).

 

[JayGee]

I was given a ballpark quote of £500 +VAT & possibly more depending on how easily the swing arm bearing assembly came apart (drilling out the cover plate bolts is apparently sometimes necessary) - potentially more than a full days work. Hence my intention to a) wait and see what happens and b) attempt the job myself if/when the clutch gives warning. Having said that, I'm sure I read somewhere on this site that a gearbox seal had been done by a dealer in under 3 hours at a much more reasonable cost.

I'd check the oil level in the gearbox, mine was well overfull which agrevated the problem, still needed new seals eventually though.

 

[Alcat]

Should we not have a thread on here dedicated to those 1200 owners who have suffered the engine/gearbox oil leak.
It would help those owners who's bikes are out of warranty (me) to prove to BMW that this is down to a faulty part and force their hand to honour the repair cost. I am planning to visit my dealer soon to argue that they (BMW) should foot the bill. Mine has covered 12,000 miles and has been leaking for about 3,000. However, it doesn't seem to have got any worse and doesn't leak so much to cause a drip.
It would be interesting to see just how many 1200's have had the repair or are experiencing the leak,

I posted on this problem a while ago. My bike was bought new in May 04, the oil leak appeared in July this year at 18,000miles ,and was fixed by the dealer in August. After a strong letter of complaint, BMW paid for the cost of the parts plus 50% of the labour. Not bad considering the bike was 15 months out of warranty.

 

[Chisurz]

Why did I read this thread and then look under the bike? I could have remained oblivious...

'05 GS, 21000 miles, 6 months out of warranty... What hope? Do I just carry on ignoring it?

 

[Nordkapper]

Why did I read this thread and then look under the bike? I could have remained oblivious...

'05 GS, 21000 miles, 6 months out of warranty... What hope? Do I just carry on ignoring it?

Take it to your dealer soonest and go for a good will claim.

On my bike the engine side gearbox seal went at 18,000 miles and the same seal again at 33,000 miles.

In addition, the seal on the clutch slave cylinder has been replaced four times.

It has yet to be proved that these problems have been resolved.

Apparently the seals are no different on '07 bikes.

Mileage or age of bike shouldn't be an issue, this is clearly a design / materials problem.

 

[Bertie]

Good ol' BMW....

Good news folks! Wollaston's in Northampton have just phoned to say the work is complete, and BMW have picked up the full cost, despite being three months out of warranty. Customer service is not about preventing problems, it's how you deal with them, and both Wollaston's and BMW get 10/10 from me. Phew, what a relief.....

 

[Engineer]

What causes the seals to fail?

Is there a fault with the gearbox breather?

Is the breather blocked, leading to a build up of pressure which causes the seals to leak?

 

[Bertie]

I think it's nothing more sinister than a design fault, sorry, I mean a feature. There's a lot of blocked breathers out there otherwise.......

 

[Engineer]

I think it's nothing more sinister than a design fault, sorry, I mean a feature. There's a lot of blocked breathers out there otherwise.......

It is an interesting one this.

I discussed this at length with an ex Ford Service Manager of many years, he also used to manage their rally team and has rebuilt more engines than any of us have had 'hot dinners'! He said that the behaviour of oil seals in engines is well understood and they are extremely reliable and very rarely fail - he was surprised that BMW of all people could not make a reliable oil sealing system.

I showed him some of the pictures posted here and on the American site, including a thread of pics showing the details of the seal (engine side) and its replacement. He said that his first point of investigation (rather than simply replacing the seals) would be to check the breathing systems of the engine and gearbox. In his opinion the problem could well be caused by a excessive pressure build up forcing the oil past the seal.

This problem has been going on since the 1200GS was launched in 2004 and it seems as though the same thing can happen to the 1150's as well. This has to be more fundamental than a bad batch of seals or a random assembly error.

 

[Bertie]

Interesting point, there may be something in that - it does make sense. How about sending your comment to BMW?

 

[Burra boy]

My 1150 had done about 130000 when I traded it in on my 1200. For most of those kms it had an oil mist around the gearbox/engine junction. Never did anything about it and never had any problems. Of course, I will now rush out and look closely at my 1200 - it's still under warranty....

 

[Bertie]

Disaster! Never rains but it pours.....

Collected bike last night after having all its gearbox seals done and a new clutch plate - nearly made it home! Engine packed up 2.5 miles from home - so close I decided to push it rather than wait for RAC. Took me an hour and a half and 5000 calories...... I suspect the fuel pump has shuffled its' mortal coil, so it now looks like I'm about to go through all the faults detailed in all other threads. Good job it didn't pack up in Italy or Switzerland in June!

 

[looby]

Gearbox leaks again

Just thought I would check my 56 registered, 07 GSA, with 7,500 miles on it, for the dreaded gearbox oil leak. Sure enough, the line of oil mist is all present and correct. Rainbow on Tuesday then!

 

[Technopole]

Engine / Gearbox oil leaks

So I picked up my bike yesterday after having the seals done. (Warranty expired in May). New clutch plate also done, due to oil contamination. Also new brake fluid. Total bill £502.
Now waiting to hear if the manufacturers will make a goodwill payment towards this rather hefty bill. Fingers crossed!

 

[Mark T]

Had my bike in at Pidcocks a week ago to replace a corroding centre stand under warranty and they helpfully pointed out that the gearbox seal was showing signs of leakage, which is now being replaced under warranty. The bike's a 55 plate and the warranty only has 2 months left to run (it's done 26000 miles now), so good on them for noticing it.

Oddly, it was being serviced by Clarks a week before (it's near to work, hence the different dealers) who didn't even mention / notice it...

 

[Malcvtr]

It is an interesting one this.

I discussed this at length with an ex Ford Service Manager of many years, he also used to manage their rally team and has rebuilt more engines than any of us have had 'hot dinners'! He said that the behaviour of oil seals in engines is well understood and they are extremely reliable and very rarely fail - he was surprised that BMW of all people could not make a reliable oil sealing system.

I showed him some of the pictures posted here and on the American site, including a thread of pics showing the details of the seal (engine side) and its replacement. He said that his first point of investigation (rather than simply replacing the seals) would be to check the breathing systems of the engine and gearbox. In his opinion the problem could well be caused by a excessive pressure build up forcing the oil past the seal.

This problem has been going on since the 1200GS was launched in 2004 and it seems as though the same thing can happen to the 1150's as well. This has to be more fundamental than a bad batch of seals or a random assembly error.

Excellent observations by Engineer on this issue.

I know that some people have had very good experiences of BMW picking up the tab out of warranty, but if the underlying issue remains and the seal goes again at some point in the future, BMW might not be so understanding and you/me/we will be left with a bill for hundreds of pounds.

Is there any method for sending a collective letter to BMW expressing our concerns over this issue? One of the big advantages of this sort of forum is that we should be able to bring significant "customer power" to bear. Could, perhaps, one of the Moderators write on our behalf?

Just a thought.

 

[zico]

No wonder Im considering changing my GS2004. Getting paranoid about the reported faults. Had the dreaded battery failure, on third one. Bike MOTd and told slight oil leak from fork but nothing to worry about yet!!! FFSake!!! New VFR or Varadero probably.

 

[Deleted account 210609001]

No wonder Im considering changing my GS2004. Getting paranoid about the reported faults. Had the dreaded battery failure, on third one. Bike MOTd and told slight oil leak from fork but nothing to worry about yet!!! FFSake!!! New VFR or Varadero probably.

Replace the few hundred quid a GS might cost for seal replacement with the few hundred quid a VFR definitely WILL cost in service costs for the VTEC gear...